Harley Davidson is an iconic brand. It’s as recognisable as Coca-Cola, RideFast or the Eiffel Tower. For several years, the brand has kind of kept to itself and we seldom got to sample their offerings. Happily, that’s changing.
Words: Séan Hendley and Glenn Foley
Pics: Deon van der Linde
Bikes courtesy of: Harley Davidson Mzansi
When we popped into the amazing Harley Davidson Mzansi store the other day, we were offered a ride on a couple of Street Glides, the absolute latest model to hit the market as well as its predecessor. Alright then! No need to twist our rubber arms… After a quick briefing on each bike and a really good cuppa cappuccino, we pointed them in the direction of The Cradle of Humankind and went in search of a good lunch. Coz that’s what you do on a bike like this…
What’s a street glide?
Basically, the Street Glide is Harley’s luxury tourer. Think big Fairing, plush seat, screen, sound, attitude and added touring luxuries.There are several derivatives in the Street glide model lineup.
The two that we rode were last years 114 and this years 117…
We headed out to The Cradle for the day. The ideal spot to really put these Baggers through their paces. Running from the Rhino & Lion Reserve past The Cradle Boutique Hotel, the road is long and winding with some nice elevation changes and is a lot less peppered with speed bumps than the other side of the mountain. This means that you can really get a bit of a shift on and crank through the bends. However, to get out there and back we had to deal with manic Fourways traffic, so this was a good real-world test.
Along the way we stopped at some scenic spots for a chinwag about each bike, comparing impressions and swapping steeds then banging along to the next stop, and the next stop, and the next stop doing the same each time, before stopping for lunch at Makiti for lunch, (you have just got to try their Vegetarian Pizza – we are avid carnivores, but this Pizza blew our mind the first time we tried it), and a couple of Soda Floats. 200 odd kilometres later, it was back to HD Mzansi to reluctantly hand our mounts back to their rightful owners. The Cradle really is a very special place and we are quite privileged to have it right on our doorstep. A few minutes, (literally), and you are out of town, in the rolling hills and African bushveld with so many nature reserves, game reserves, art galleries, restaurants, fishing spots and lodges intertwined into the natural beauty of the area.
Sadly, a lot of our fellow citizens as well as the powers that be do not seem to appreciate or respect the beauty in this area. It is an official UNESCO World Heritage Site, but litter is sneaking in everywhere you stop. Empty soda cans, discarded Styrofoam take out food containers, plastic packets and paper, but worst of all is the stench from the rivers which are so badly polluted with sewage it is hard to believe that any form of life can actually survive in it. It really is very sad, and we have to wonder what the solution to this GP problem is. Yes, we know that our government should be using our taxes to do that, but it starts at home. If the businesses in the area want to keep attracting customers, it does seem worthwhile taking the initiative or putting pressure to keep the area sustainable.
Rant over. We still had a great time in the area and a fantastic ride and this is what our test pilots came back with:
Séan says:
Truth be told I have been enamoured with the Harley Davidson brand since I was knee high to a grasshopper, in fact any and all big, shiny, growling American Iron for that matter. American Chopper and American Hot Rod were two of my favourite shows for many years, so I was really keen to get out and ride these Baggers.
Now full disclosure is also in order here – it is said that ‘you must never meet your heroes’ and in one or two instances that has been true of some of HD’s models in that past, as well as the other American brand and certainly some of the Euro attempts. Not all bikes are for everybody and hence their vast model line ups. So, there was some trepidation in the back of my mind, especially muscling these big machines through rush hour traffic in Fourways.
I rode the 114 from the dealership and…. let’s just say my trepidations weren’t immediately abated. Maybe it was because I had just climbed off a mid-weight, high performance Adventure bike, but it did take me a bit of time to orient myself on the 114, get comfortable, find my footing and familiarise myself with the clutch and throttle feel as well as how the bikes weight responded to rider input. Once I got the measure of it, I was off roaring toward the hills.
The outgoing Street Glide is comfortable and quick with decent rider ergonomics and punchy performance from the motor. Where I did have a bit of an issue was moving it around at idle speeds, with the gyroscopic effect of the motor not assisting in balancing the bike and the seat position and height being what it is, my knees were bent like sitting in a lowish armchair with my feet out in front of me, this made manoeuvring the 114 around at walking speeds in tight spots somewhat awkward and uncomfortable. My other issue was with the placement of the foot boards, maybe I’m just different to most people, but I kept on putting my toes on them rather than my full foot which seemed more in fitting with my natural sitting position, (Glenn had a different experience to me here in both instances, hence why we generally try take along vastly different riders on our reviews – to give more balanced feedback).
Out on the open road, with The Hu blasting out of the surprisingly good onboard stereo, sun on my back and glorious roads ahead of me I couldn’t have been happier. The 114 handles extremely well, booming through the mountains and tilting in and out of corners. The big bike scrubs off speed quick enough and without getting out of shape when you happen to forget about the very many speed bumps in The Cradle. It also seems to offer ever so slightly better wind protection to the rider than the 117 did.
Speaking of the 117, what a revelation from jumping directly onto it after climbing off the 114. The short summary of this review is this – “The 117 is better in every way and this is the one you should buy”. A big statement, but let me qualify why I say that. By definition, we are actually ‘Professional U-Turners’ with photographers and camera crews favourite term being “Do that again”, so for me a mark of a bikes handling performance and balance is how quickly, easily and in the least amount of space I can get it facing in the opposite direction without climbing off. Whipping the 117 around after we swapped bikes was incredibly easy and surprisingly light and well balanced compared to the 114 which required significantly more effort and concentration and much wider radius, regularly requiring a two or three point turn. With the 117 I easily counter-leaned it and brought it around in a smooth motion.
The seating position is much more comfortable for me and my feet squarely found the foot boards. The infotainment system was quickly figured out and we were off to the races. Hanging through the bends in The Cradle way north of legally acceptable speeds with Rob Zombie howling about being a ‘teenage rock god’ through the very loud sound system almost brought me to tears of joy with the elation I felt cranking the big Bagger over in the bends and then flicking it over the opposite way as the road changed direction again and again, twisting the throttle harder and physically forcing myself not to reach for the brakes as the rolling African veld blurred by under a vividly blue sky and a sinking sun – I was in heaven.
Even getting back into rush hour traffic didn’t dampen my spirits, this bike is so nimble and manoeuvrable for its size that I quickly left my riding mates far behind on the 114. The 117 is incredibly responsive to rider input and I managed to safely take evasive action through the traffic and brought the rig to an easy stop back at the store.
Overall, a very lekker day in the saddle and it got even better once I was astride the 117. The 114 is a fantastic machine, but in my humble opinion it is overshadowed by the new 117…. As it should be, otherwise why bring out a new model?
Glenn says:
Thanks to the last Bagger I rode, there was a sense of reluctance and trepidation about riding these bikes. My previous experience on a bike like this from an European manufacturer was somewhat unpleasant, especially in gnarly traffic, so I was not altogether excited about having to ride one again.
That all changed the moment I climbed aboard the 117, opened the throttle and glided down the ramp into the street. You see, it’s all good and well building a bike with ergonomics that are great on the open road, but if it’s uncomfortable, unpleasant and almost scary to ride in normal traffic, then what’s the point? Despite the fact that these Harleys can never be described as ballerina’s, they do give a great balance of comfort for the long road and everyday useability in urban conditions. A really pleasant surprise. Quite frankly, it’s easy to understand why HD does so well in this market.
Muaaz, the DP from Harley Davidson tried hard to explain all of the electronic tech on the bike, but to be frank, I was more interested in seeing what the bikes were actually like to ride, without any of those distractions. There is an industrial feel to these bikes – and that’s not a criticism – it’s actually pretty cool. Raw, unrefined, American Iron.
Sean really took a shine to the new 117. I spent the first part of the day on this bike and was really enamoured by the long stroke engine, the overall luxury and the great touches like the little utility tray that slides out on the dash for your wallet and niknaks. I love the dash with the cool graphics. The throb of the powerful V-Twin under you makes you feel alive… it’s actually really very cool and you come to understand why this is such an iconic brand.
While Séan managed to link his phone into some heavier tunes, mine was tuned in to Jacaranda and I was impressed by how good the sound is. Alex Jay had no idea that he was being broadcasted across The Cradle. The classic lines with the modern LED trims and finished bring the bike up to date and drew more than one or two curious glances from passers by. A friendly gent at the fuel stop wandered over – he was something of an expert on the brand and spent a good 15 minutes extolling the virtues of the Sporty he owned when he was fresh out of the army. That’s what motorcycles are all about.
After a seriously chilled ride, that’s what these bikes are really all about, at our lunch break, we did the usual swap over. My turn to take on last year’s edition of the Street Glide. It feels similar, a distinct gene runs through all of them. The most obvious difference is the size of the engine, but there are many other bits and bobs the HD has upgraded on the new model. But somehow, If you were to ask which of the two I’d buy, it would quite possibly be the 114.
Why?
I’m not entirely sure. Maybe it’s the smaller engine. Maybe it’s the more classic lines and fit and finishes.
The bike just seemed to fit me a bit better. Sure the 117 has a bit more oomph, (Ok make that a lot more oomph), but you know when you just ride a bike that seems to work for you? This one worked for me. It’s a joy on the long road, easily eating up the miles as the world glides past your helmet.
What a cool day that was. Maybe we are approaching the age where we finally understand the whole bagger lifestyle. What started out as trepidation and the conviction that we were going to have a hard time liking these big girls, turned into one of the coolest days in the saddle ever. If you’ve never ridden one, we recommend it very muchly.
Chatting to the guys back at the store, we are told that there’s a list of bolt-on goodies as long as Sean is tall for these bikes, so if you would like to personalise your ride, the choices are literally limitless. The guys do trade ins, arrange finance and insurance, so you’ll get sorted. Oh, and if you’ve never seen Harley Davidson Mzansi, take a wander down and have a look. It’s one of the most impressive motorcycle dealerships in SA.
So, what’s different between these two?
Well, to use an old cliché – “Night & Day” or “Digital vs Analogue”, the latter description is possibly the most’ literally correct. Where the 114 is all 20th century analogue dials and gauges, the 117 is definitely 21st century TFT display with everything on a big TV mounted in the fairing. But that is not where the changes are limited to, these machines are as equally different under the skin as they are in the appearance and dashboard layouts.
Firstly, the V-Twin power plant gets a bore increase from 1 868 cc’s to 1 923cc’s, (or 114 ci to 117 ci), 55 cc’s might not sound like a lot but chuck in VVT (variable valve timing) and it makes a massive change to the power curve that effectively leaves the 114 in its dust. That’s the difference 176 Nm’s makes over 167 Nm’s, the difference in throttle response is quite vivid.
It has nothing to do with the gearing, from all the spec sheets we read, the gear ratios are exactly the same all the way from 1st through to 6th gear on both models. Also, to the 117’s advantage is the fact that it is a little bit trimmer at 367kg’s versus the 379 kg’s of the 114 and the 12 kg weight reduction is immediately felt switching from riding the 114 to riding the 117.
We’re not going to run through all the specs here, you can go check them out on
HD Mzansi’s website here.
